Pier-shed doors.



H. T. GOSS.

PIER SHED DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.13, 191s.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

5 BHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR 13.; A rmmvsy H. T. GOSS.

PIER SHED DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.13, 1918.

1,080,524. Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

6 SHEETS-11331 2.

WITNESSES:

4 A'TTORNEY H. T. GOSS.

PIER SHED DOORS,

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 13, 1913.

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H. T. GUSS.

PIER SHED nooas.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.13,1913. 1,080,524. Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

6 SHEETSSHEET 4.

40 1 F 54A 7K Til Hli'" E M WITNESSES:

INVENTOR A TTORNEV H. T. GOSS.

PIER SHED DOORS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.13, 1913.

1,080,524, Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

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WITNESSES: lNl/E/VT R 9' 0% 5; ATTORNEY D STATES PATENT OFFIC HARRY T. GOSS, OF RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNGR TO GEORGE E. FB/O'I'HING- HAM 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY T. Goss, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Rutherford, county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pier-Shed Doors,

'of which the' following is a specification,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof. My invention relates to doors, gates and similar devices, and particularly to the suspension-and operation of such large, heavy doors as are adapted for closing a plurality of openings in a double deck pier shed.

One object of my invention is to'provide a simple and convenient arrangement of pier shed doors whereby practically all arts of the shed will be readily accessible 50m the exterior.

Another object is to provide door operating mechanism that shall be relatively inexpensive to construct and particularly easy to actuate by hand or by any suitable source of motive power.

Still another object is to provide a single mechanism of simple construction that shall be arranged and adapted to selectively operate more than one door of the aforesaid character.

Other objects and-advantages of my invention will be set forth hereinafter, and in order that my invention may be fully understood, I will describe the same in the following specification and then point out the novel features thereof in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an interior elevation of a pier shed equipped with doors which are arranged and operated in accordance with my invention. A sectional end elevation of the same is shown in Fig. 2. One of the doors and its supports is shown in plan view in Fig. 3. Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary views showing the door operating mechanism, and portions of the pier shed frame and doors, on a materially larger scale, Fig. 4 being an interior front view and Fig. 5 a side elevation. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 7 a partially sectional plan view, illustrating in detail the upper parts of the doors and their guide members. Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view with the doors removed of a pier shed frame and a door operating mechanism which is my invention but which is materially diiferent from that illustrated in the previous figures. The modified arrangement is more completely illustrated in Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive, of which Fig. 9 corresponds with Fig. 1, and Fig. 10 with Fig. 6. Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional elevations, on the lines 11-11' and 12-12 respectively, of Fig. 9.

Special reference may now be had to Figs. 1 to 7 ofthe drawings. 15 is a pier shed having an upper deck or level 16 and a lower .deck or level 17. As is usual in buildlngs of this character, practically the whole side wall 18 is made up of a plurality of upper doors 20 and a plurality of lower doors 22, each of the upper doors being directly above one of the doors on the lower level and vertical beams 23 being interposed.

between each pair of doors in order to support the roof of the shed and the doors themselves. In large pier sheds of modern construction the doors are frequently eightcon and twenty feet square and in some instances a single door weighs upward of three thousand pounds. One of the aims of my present invention is to provide for suspending doors of this character and for operating them without any considerable effort on the part of an attendant, by particularly simple and desirable mechanisms each of which is adapted to operate more than one door. My invention is however, capable of adaptation to doors of various sizes and kinds, and I do not intend to be limited to any particular class of service. As clearly shown in Fig. 7 each of the beams 23 comprises a web 24 to which is riveted or otherwise secured angle irons 25 at its edges, a pair of smaller angles 26 and a pair of channels 27, the parts being symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the web. The web 24 with the angles 25 has the general form of a double channel or I-beam while the smaller angles 26 and the channel 27 30 (see Figs. 2 and 6) which is supported the arrangement illustrated, the lower door 22 does not extend to the floor of the upper level, the intervening Space being covered by suitable sheathing which may be secured to the transverse beams 31. The door is however, provided with extensions in the form of brackets 36 secured to its respective upper corners and extending beyond the transverse beam 32 and, just above the floor lei el of the upper deck, a sill strip or plate 38 extending between the beams 23 and being secured at its ends to the brackets 36. Asshown in Fig. 7 this strip 38 is materially wider than the guideway 28 in which the door operates and overlaps the edge of the floor on one side and the transverse beam on the other. When the lower door is shut the plate 38 lies in the position shown in Fig. 6 in which it closes the slot above the door 22, and it not only limits the downward movement of the door but. also may serve as a means for suspending the do-or in case it is necessary to unhook the operating tackle and counterweight mechanism to which detailed reference will be made hereinafter. The upper door 20 is provided at its upper edge with a strip 40 which corresponds to the strip 38 of the lower door,

and when the door is open as shown in Fig. 6, overlaps the stationary sill plate 30 on the one side and the sill strip 38, which is attached to the lower door, on the other side. The strip 40 thus limits the downward movement of the upper door and when the door is open, constitutes a closed sill without any dangerous and undesirable cracks or crevices exposed. Above the upper doorway is a transom 41 which is secured at its ends to the beam 23 and is engaged by the strip 40 when the upper door is closed.

It will already be clear from the foregoing description, that both the upper and the lower doorway in a single bay cannot be opened at once, but this will in no wayinterfere with the usual practice of handling freight according to which the upper door of one bay and the lower door of an adjacent bay or vice versa, are frequently open at one time. v

The operating mechanism itself is very simple'and is clearly set forth in Figs. 4 and 5, the general arrangement between a single mechanism and its pair of doors, be ing illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Near the 'sition.

upper end of each of the brackets 36 is a.

lateral projection 43 and at each side of the door 20 near its lower end is a bracket in Fig. 1. For each pair of doors however, I

there is provided only a single hand winch mechanism 50, one of the chains 48 extending directly over a chain sheave 51 of the winch. The other chain 48, which is lo cated on the side of the door remote from the winch, extends over a stationary sheave 52 located above the transom 40 and thence over a part of the same chain sheave 51, which is provided with two grooves or is otherwise suitably arranged to receive the two chains. The chain sheave 51 of the winch is connected by any suitable gearing, to a hand chain 54 and to a counterweight 55, the arrangement of parts being such that the counterweightexerts a force upon the chain sheave 51 which is substantially equal and opposite to that exerted by both of the doors 20 and 22. Theposition 'of each door may be adjusted by means of the hand chain 54, the operation of the mechanism beingas follows: Assuming that both the doors are closed as shown in Fig. 1, and that it is desired to open the lower door, the hand chain is so operated as to turn the chain sheave and raise the floating sheaves 46. Since the upper door 20 is closed the top plate 40 is in engagement with the transom 41 and consequently this door cannot move upward any farther. The obvious result is that the continued upward movement of the floating sheaves raises the lower door. This operation may be reversed to close door 22 which is heavier than door 20 so that the latter remains in its upper or closed po- If, on the other hand, it is desired to open the upper door the hand chain is.

actuated and the chain sheave turned so as to lower the floating sheaves 46. By reason o-f'the fact that the sill plate 38 is resting on the floor of the upper deck and on the transverse beam 32, the lower door cannot move downwardly and consequently as the floating sheaves continue to fall the upper door 20 will be lowered. The door 20 may be raised by actuating the hand chain to raise the floating sheaves 46, the greater weight of door22 causing it to remain in its closed position. The advantages of this arrangement are obvious and only a few of them will 'be referred to briefly. First, the winch 50 order. The hand chain may extend through suitable holes in the floor of the upper deck and be readily accessible from either the up per or lower deck. Only a single counter weight for the two doors is required. The hoisting mechanism and the counterweight may be entirely unhooked from both doors in order that the mechanism may be repaired or renewed by merely taking the precaution to first open the upper door so that each door is suspended by means of the top or sill plate with which it is provlded.

Reference may now be had to the modified structure illustrated in Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive, Which has a number of points of similarity with that of the preceding figures but diti'ers therefrom in that the upper and lower doors are not in vertical alinement, each alternate bay of the shed being provided with only a lower or only an upper door and the operating mechanism being modified accordingly. Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters in all of the figures. The structures of the vertical beams of the shed correspond quite closely to those of the previous arrangement except that only one set of guideways (S0 is provided in each beam as all the doors are located in substantially the same plane. Both sets of doors are structurally similar to those in the previous arrangement. Each lower door is however, connected by a pair of chains 45', which pass over a pair of floating sheaves 46 to adjacent sides of the two upper doors located at its respective sides in the adjoining bays. A counterweight 55 is located at each of the vertical beams 23 and balances one-half of the weight of one upper and one lower door which are connected to the floating sheave between them. A winch mechanism is located at alternate beams and corresponds to the winch mechanism 50 except that it is directly connected only to the single floating sheave which is directly below it and .may be connected by means of change clutches -76- 77 to either the floating sheave which is adjacent to it on one side or the floating sheave which is adjacent to it on the other side. It is therefore evident that before the hand chain 54 can be utilized for raising either the upper door to one side of it or the lower door to the other side of it, the clutches 757G-77 must be properly adjusted by means of hand levers which are provided for this purpose. In order that the operation of this arrangement may be more clearly understood a specific example may be assumed as follows: If the lower door (see Figs. 8 and 9) is to be raised the clutches 75 and 76 will be thrown to the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 8; the hand chain will then be moved to turn the chain sheave of the winch 70 in such a direction as to raise the floating sheaves on the respective sides of the lower door. If both of the adjacent upper doors are closed the opening of the lower door will result. The lower door may be closed by moving the hand chain in the opposite direction. If it is desired to open the upper door, which is shown complete in Fig. 9, all the other doors being closed, the clutches 75 and 77 are adjusted to occupy their opposite positions from those in which they are shown in Fig. 8 and the hand chain so actuated as to lower the sheaves on the respective sides of the upper door in question. This upper door may be closed by raising the sheaves 46* at its respective sides. If, when the lower door is open, it is also desired to open one of the adjacent upper doors, the non-adjacent floating sheave of the lower door will remain in its elevated position and will prevent the lower door from shutting. The mechanism of this modification is somewhat more complex than that of the preferred form which is illustrated in the previous figures. Both of the arrangements are nevertheless within the spirit and scope of my invention and other modifications may be effected within the scope of appended claims.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In combination with a pair of door openings one over the other, upper and lower doors for the respective openings, a

floating means by which the doors are con-- nected together, one to counterbalance the other, and. hoisting means for raising and lowering said means to vary the positions of the doors.

9.. In combination with a pair of door openings one over the other, upper and lower doors for the respective openings, a floating means by which the doors are connected together, one to counterbalance the other, and a single hoisting means for raising and lowering said means to either raise the lower door or lower the upper door.

3. In combination with a pairof door openings one over the other, upper and lower doors for the respective openings, each being provided with means for limiting its movement in one direction from its closed position, a floating means by which the doors are connected together, one to counterbalance the other, and a single winch mechanism for raising and lowering said means to selectively open and close the doors.

4. In combination with a pair of door openings one over the other, upper and lower doors for the respective openings, provided with means for preventing an upward movement of one and a downward movement of the other from its closed position, a floating means by which the doors are connected together, one to counterbalance the other, and a single hoisting means for raising and lowering said means; and a single &

counterweight acting on the'hoisting means for. counteracting the combined weight .of both doors. 5. In combination with two pairs of vertical guideways, a plurality of doors slidable in parallel planes in the guideways, afloatingsheave, and a chain or'cable over the sheave for connecting the doors together;

and a hoisting means for raising or lowering the sheave;

6. In combination with a pair of spaced beams arranged to provide vertical guideways, a pairof doors arranged to operate in the guideways in parallel planes, a chain or cable connected at its respective ends to the upper part of the lower door and to the lower partof the upper door, a floating sheave cooperating with the chain or cable,-

lower door having means for supporting it from the upper deck in its closed position, a floating sheave, a chain or cable cooperating with the floating sheave and connected at its ends to respective doors, and means for raising and lowering the floating sheave.

8. In combination with a pier shed having an upper and a lower deck and door open ings for the respective decks in vertical alinement, an upper door having means for preventing its upward movement from its closed position and for preventing its downward movementfrom its open position, a lower door having means for supporting it from the upper deck in its closed position, a floating sheave, a chain or cable cooperating with the floating sheave and connected at its ends to the respective doors, and a single winch mechanism for raising and lowering the floating sheave to selectively open the doors.

9. In combination with a pier shed having an upper and a lower deck and door openings for the respective decks, a door for each of the openings, a floating means by which a lower door is connected to an upper door, one to counterbalance the other, and hoisting means for raising and lowering said means to selectively operate the doors.

10. In combination with a pier shed having an upper and a lower deck, and door openings for the respective decks in vertical alinement, an upper door having a sill plate at the top adapted to suspend the upper door from the upper deck level when in its open position, a lower door having a sill plate adapted to suspend the door from the upper deck level when in its closed position, a float ting sheave located at the respective sides of the door openings, chains or cables cooperating with the sheaves and each connected at its respective ends to the lower door and to I the upper door, and a single hoisting mechanism for simultaneously raising or lowering the floating sheave.

11. In combination with a pier shed having an upper and a lower deck, and door openings for the respective decks in vertical alinement, an upper door having a sill plate at the top adapted to suspend the upper door from the upper deck level when in its open position, a lower door having a sill plate adapted to suspend the lower door from theupper deck level when in its closed position,

a floating sheave located at the respective sides of the door openings, chains or-cables cooperating with the sheaves and each connected at its respective ends to the lower door and to the upper door, a single winch mechanism located at one side of the door opening and arranged to simultaneously raise and lower the floating sheaves, and a single counterweight acting upon the winch to compensate for the weight of both doors.

12. In a pier shed structure, the combination with a lower and an upper floor, and vertical beams arranged to produce upper and lower door openings in vertical'alinement on the respective levels, and means affixed to the vertical beams for providing independent substantially parallel guideways, each extending over both openings, of a pair of doors for the respective openings adapted to operate close together in parallel planes in the respective guideways, a single hoisting winch having a doublechain sheave and a hand chain connected to rotate the chain sheave, a pair of floating sheaves at the respective sides of the door opening, chains or cables cooperating with the float ing sheaves, and each connected at its respective ends to the upper and lower door, and means for connecting the floating sheaves to the chain sheaves to be simultaneously raised and lowered by the winch; and a single counterweight acting upon the chain sheave to counteract the combined weight of both doors.

13. In a pier shed structure, the combination with a lower and an upper floor, and vertical beams arranged to provide upper and lower door openings in vertical alinement, on the respective levels, and ,means on the vertical beams for providing parallel guideways extending over both openings, of a pair of doors for the respective openings adapted to slide up and down in the guideways in parallel planes, a single hoisting winch,- a pair of floating sheaves operatively connected thereto, chains or cables cooperating with the floating sheaves and each connected at its respective ends to the upper and lower door.

14. In a pier shed structure, the combination with vertical beams arranged to produce upper and lower dOOr openings in vertical alinement and having means for providing parallel guideways, of a pair of doors for the respective openings adapted to operate in parallel planes in the respective guldeways, and a single hoisting winch and interposed means whereby the winch is adapted to selectively open and close the doors.

15. In a pier shed structure, the combination with upper and lower door openings,

of a pair of doors for the respective openings, a single hoisting means, and interposed floating means between the doors and 15 the hoisting means.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 26th day of July, 1913.

HARRY T. GO SS.

Witnesses:

R. J. DEARBORN, F. Gmwns. 

